Game apparatus.



No. 722,359. PATENTE D MAR. 10, 1903' G. A. FOWLER.

GAME APPARATUS..

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30, 1902. I0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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0. A. FOWLER. GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30, '1902.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 2- H0 MODEL.

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CHARLES A. FOWLER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALFTO JOHN COLLINS FOWLER, OE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYL- VANIA.

GAME APPARATUS.

sPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,359, dated March10, 1903.

Application filed July 30, 1902. Serial No. 117.643. (No model.)

Q0 in whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. FOWLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and amusing Game Apparatus, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and amusing game apparatus, and has forits object to provide an apparatus having an opening in the upper endthereof through which a ball may be thrown, and this ball after enteringthe apparatus may pass through any one of five chutes, and each chute isconnected with a separate pocket extending outward from the front of theapparatus, and when the ball rests within any one of the pocketselectrical contact is made, which will ring either an electric hell orbuzzer, so as to notify the players in which pocket the ball hasemerged.

With these ends in view the invention consists in the details ofconstruction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and thenspecifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains may under stand how to make and use the same, theconstruction and operation will now be described in detail, referring tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, inwhich Figure l is a perspective view of the apparatus complete; Fig. 2,a vertical longitudinal section through the apparatus. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal cross-section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a sideelevation of the crown to which the upper ends of the tubes areconnected, showing also a portion of the tube; Fig. 5, a diagrammaticalview of the electric circuit.

The framework of the apparatus consists of a front board A and a housingB, secured to the rear of the same. The whole apparatus is supported bysuitable legs 0, so that the same may stand upright. The upper end ofthe front board A is formed circular, and through the center of the sameis provided an opening D, to which is connected one end of an elbow-pipeE, the other end of which points downward and is secured to or formedwith an inverted hopper G. The lower end of said hopper surrounds acrown-piece H, and this crown-piece is provided with a central openingand several openings arranged around the central opening, and to each ofthe openings surrounding the central opening is attached a tube I, whichextends downward to different levels and then are turned horizontallyand emerge through the front board A, where protruding pockets J areattached, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This crown-piece H is formedconical, and the central opening through the same opens through the apexof this cone, and through this central opening protrudes a tube K, whichis flared slightly above the crown H, and this tube extends downward thesame as the tubes I, turns at right angles, and emerges through thefront board A into a pocket K.

In playing the game the players stand at some distance from theapparatus and throw a ball toward the same, aiming for the opening D. Ifthe ball should go through the opening D, it passes through the elbow Hand in falling downward may pass through any one of the tubes I orthrough the tube K; but the tube K being central is the most diffioultone for the ball to enter. The ball in passing down the tubes will thenemerge from the apparatus at the front and lodge in any one of thepockets, and these pockets may be numbered, so as to count differentscores for the players. Of course the pocket connected with the centraltube will count the highest score.

For the purpose of notifying the players in which pocket the ball haslodged without the necessity of the players approaching the apparatus Iprovide in each of the pockets J and K a spring-tongue L, the free endof which is normally out of contact with the contactpoints M; but whenthe ball lodges within any one of the pockets this spring-tongue L isdepressed by the weight of the ball and coming in contact with thecontact-point M a circuit will be formed through the battery N, so as tosound an alarm upon the buzzer 0 if the ball lodges in any one of thepockets J or sound an alarm upon theelectric bell P if the ball lodgeswithin the pocket K. Thus the players are notified at once whether theball is in one of the pockets J or in the pocket K.

The crown-piece H, I prefer to so form that the upper conical surface ofthe same will be slightly dished at as many places as there are tubes I,and these tubes will be connected to the crown-piece H at the lowestpoint of these dished surfaces, so that there will be no chance for theball to lodge in between the tubes, so as not to pass down one of them.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction hereshown, as slight modifications could be made without departing from thespirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a gameapparatus, an upright front board, the upper end of which is providedwith an opening, a chute, one end of which is connected with saidopening, the other end of which points downward and depresses outward acrown-piece fitted in the lower end of the chute, a series of tubesprotruding upward through the crown piece, said tubes passing downwardto differentlevels and then being bent at right angles and emergingthrough the front board, pockets arranged upon the front board, one foreach tube, and alarm devices adapted to be actuated by a ball lodging inone of the pockets, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a game apparatus, an upright board provided with an opening at itsupper end, a curved chute extending through said opening from the rear,the other end of said chute opening downward, a crown-piece fitted inthe lower end of the chute, said crown-piece being formed slightlyconical, a tube extending outward from below through the apex of saidcrown-piece, the upper end of said tube being slightly flared, a seriesof tubes extending upward through the crown-piece arranged around thecentral tube, all of said tubes extending downward to dilferentlevelsand then being bent at right angles and emerging through the frontboard, pockets secured to the front board into which the tubes emerge,electrical contact devices arranged within the pockets adaptedto beoperated by the weight of a ball, an electric circuit, a battery,electric bell and electric buzzer included in said circuit, the contactdevices in the pockets also included in said circuit in such a mannerthat when the ball enters the pocket connected with the central tube analarm will be sounded on the electric bell, and when the ball enters thepockets connected with the other tubes an alarm will be sounded on theelectric buzzer.

3. In a game apparatus, an upright board provided with an openingthrough its upper end at which a ball is designed to be thrown, a curvedchute extending rearward from said opening and opening downward, acrownpiece arranged in the lower end of said chute, said crown-piecebeing formed slightly conical, a tube extending upward through the apexof said crown-piece and being slightly flared upon its upper end, aseries of tubes arranged around the central tube and extending upwardthrough the crown-piece, said crown-piece being dished or concaved atdifferent places upon its upper surface so that the concentric tubeswill extend through the crown-piece at the lowest point of the concavedsurfaces, all of said tubes extending downward to different levels andemerging through the front board, pockets arranged upon the front boardin which the tubes emerge, and means adapted to be actuated by theweight of the ball for sounding an alarm when the ball enters any one ofthe pockets, as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. FOWLER.

Witnesses:

H. B. HALLOCK, L. W. MORRISON.

